Searching our Horizons

"And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, 'Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!'" Luke 19:41

This morning as I was drinking my coffee I was mesmerized by the dark sky and the multitude of stars so clearly seen. It is going to be a beautiful day, so beautiful that if I’m not careful I won’t even think of Jesus today. And yet, over 2000 years ago He woke up thinking of me and thinking of you. The same sun that is rising this morning is the same sun that rose that morning when men were plotting against Jesus. It was Holy Tuesday and the day when both His deity and power would be challenged and discredited by all of those in authority. They questioned Him throughout the day trying to trick Him so they could imprison Him. Jesus awoke to the reality that Holy Tuesday was the day when conspiracies to trap Him would escalate with the end goal of ridding their city of Him. What crime had Jesus committed in reality? The crime of loving God and loving man so much that He would be murdered for them. While they had His death on their mind, Jesus had their life on His mind. The week would grow in intensity and the lack of faith that Israel revealed broke His heart.

We are living in a time when our days also are growing in intensity and it's easy to have a lack of faith. With each morning's newscast the number of people contracting the virus rises along with the deaths. No wonder Jesus slipped away from the chaos to take stock in the reality of what was occurring. My walks are my moments when I climb to the top of my mountain looking for a future horizon with gatherings with my loved ones, giving tight and long bear hugs to my children and grandchildren. The horizon shows me and my mother at The Olive Garden laughing and telling old stories. It shows me with my sisters celebrating their April birthdays. It shows me in my daughter's car going to Spring Break next year with them in Florida. I can see me and Bruce at our favorite Italian spot in the community. But most of all the horizon shows me standing at my seat at my beautiful church on Easter Sunday with standing room only as we all worship the one true resurrected Savior!

It’s so easy to rush pass Holy Week but Jesus deserves more than a rushed resurrection. There was nothing fast or easy about the days leading up to His death. I’m sure that every day seemed like forever and every attack seemed like a betrayal. But some days I’m no different that those people over 2000 years ago. Some days I challenge His power… ‘Can’t you do this...or won’t you do that?’ Some days like those people I don’t recognize when Jesus is trying to be my Savior. Sometimes I accuse Him of taking too much time...doing much too little...when really He is accomplishing so much through this challenging time. So for now I will take descend the mountain and accept that while mountains are made to scale, lives are lived at the bottom.

I pray that today wherever we are and whatever we are involved in, we will think of Jesus since He was thinking of us in the days leading up to the cross.